Len_derby

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1330446536' post='1557620'] Bass Banjo? You mean like this? [url="http://angiesbanjo.com/Bass_Banjo.htm"]http://angiesbanjo.com/Bass_Banjo.htm[/url] or even [url="http://www.bassbanjos.com/"]http://www.bassbanjos.com/[/url] Fun Steve PS It could even get expensive! [/quote] Yes! Great stuff. I've often thought that a bass banjo with a resonator body would work as an acoustic bass guitar alternative. A lot of us having tried an acoustic bass guitar and finding that they're too quiet 'unplugged' to be of any use in a band.

Welcome Mike, from the other side of the Trent.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1330380642' post='1556664'] Use your ears. If you can't hear what the bassline is doing then make something up that fits. If you can't tell no one else will be able to either. [/quote] I agree with both of these. Training your ears to recognise intervals (eg. one semi-tone up then one full tone down etc.) will pay dividends in being able to learn parts by ear. Almost anyone can do it, it's just practise. Then you won't need tabs. I sometimes wonder if crappy tabs are posted on the 'net in a lame attempt to avoid copywright infringements.

Well done Peter. Never too old. You've got to tell us more!!

I know I'm playing the 'wrong' instrument on this one, but there's some gigs when only a genuine Nigerian outfit, plus leopard skin slippers will do.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1330170108' post='1553639'] the band should sound like one big single instrument - imagine a set of shelves, with each instrument on a slightly different one. [/quote] Exactly. Most people listening to ensemble music often don't know which sound comes from which instrument. And frankly, don't really care. The sound of the band is either good or bad.

Welcome Steve. It sounds like you do some interesting stuff. I had to face the outdoor acoustic bass problem for ocsasional jobs. Instead of going for a DB (I'd have to get a new car!) I got a small combo amp that will run on batteries. It's a Roland Micro Cube and you can even carry it on your shoulder like a man-bag When you say a border morris team, is that the border between East Yorkshire and England?

Yes, of course. Everyone's replaceable, but not always replicable. Graveyards are full of people who thought they were indispensible.

You've probably just got enough time to grow a beard like that Tom. Got to be authentic.

[quote name='clarkpegasus4001' timestamp='1329322277' post='1540653'] That is really sad, sorry to hear that Len. [/quote] [quote name='seashell' timestamp='1329147098' post='1537797'] Only just saw this post. What terrible news, Len. So sorry to hear about that. (( )) [/quote] Thanks friends. I normally have no qualms about public speaking, but I did that night. If there's any message we can take from it I think it's 'live life to the full while you've got it'.

A great progamme, well worth a watch. Did he really need those two Hartke rigs in that studio? No wonder the other musicians were looking slightly nervous! For me, the bits interviewing Ginger nearly stole the show. On the evidence we saw it seems such a shame that a man with his CV and who has been at the top of his profession remains bitter. It could all have been an act for the cameras though.

Hiya. There's loads of stuff on this forum around this topic. But as a personal summary..... Fender is a mass producer of instruments. Like all mass producers, most of their output is satisfactory but some are dogs. So, if at all possible, try before you buy. Personally again, and based on my own experience and preferences, if I was out for a bass and had a limited budget I'd go for these. Pre-owned (off this forum). A Squier or a Yamaha. Whichever model, depending on taste or availability. Generally speaking, and IMHO you will get much more for your money with those two brands rather than a Fender of any kind. I played a gig on Sunday and used 2 basses. One was a Squier VM Jazz the other a Yamaha fretless. And I've got US and Japanese Fenders too, that I left at home.

[quote name='Jayben' timestamp='1329219947' post='1538898'] Also Len, what's the problem with the tuners? Mine seem to work fine? [/quote] I'm just being a bit picky I suppose! Compared to the ones on my MIA and MIJ Ps and J they're a little bit rough round the edges and are not quite as precise. But, I've lived happily with them for 18 months so I'll just admit to being a bit anal.

I've kept mine just as it is. It could be a very rare beast in years to come. Jokes aside, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the tuners. It may be just mine, but I think they are one of the weak points of the Squier VM Jazz. Still, a lovely instrument. Probably the best £170 I ever spent.

Since I've nearly always bought pre-owned (usually off this forum). It's what's available at the time that I want to buy that decides my purchase. I'm a big believer in compromise. If you wait until something comes along that ticks all the preference boxes you could be waiting a long time.

[b]Welcome Mr P. That's a nice set-up you've got.[/b] [b]Have fun.[/b]

Strangely enough I've got a Precison that I don't consider a Precison. It's a MIA Fender Precision deluxe, bought new in 2003 (the only bass I've got I bought new) With the slim 'Jazz' type neck it's very playable and the two pick-ups and active electronics offer lots of tone variations. But......it just never sound like a genuine P to me. If I know I want a P sound I take out my MIJ '57 reissue P with the maple 'tree trunk' neck.

One of the bad ones, and not in a way that I ever expected. We play a once-a-month slot at a local pub and have built up a healthy crowd. Last night I had to make the announcement that we were a duo, rather than a trio, because the drummer's wife had died two weeks ago. She was 32 and collapsed and died at home, alone, due to a blood clot. Totally out of the blue. Craig, the drummer, is devastated, as you would expect. Particularly as they'd only been married 18 months. She always came to see us, and we dedicated the gig to her.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1328885911' post='1534373'] Soloing! Damn, just get a groove going first. If you really must solo start simple - maybe with the chord tones or key notes from the melody and develop it. [/quote] Agreed. The best example I know of this in practise is on the Donny Hathaway 'Live' album. Willie Weeks (superb throughout) takes a bass solo on the last track. He starts really simply, playing a basic groove and builds it from there.

Thanks for all the feedback and info chaps. As someone said above, a lot of these players are still around and active. However, the longest serving bassist, Hugh Hopper, died in 2009. It's all great stuff. Very English and eccentric. Everyone else in the house hates it though.

I'm really enjoying listening to Soft Machine albums 3 to 7, which I bought for a £10 all together. They're in the 'Original Album Classics' series by Columbia. I haven't listen to some of the this stuff for nigh-on 30 years. Can anyone recommend any books about the band and the Canterfbury Scene they were part of?

Well done 'Shell. I remember your first posts last year. Onwards and upwards!

Welcome Dan. Have fun.

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1328453923' post='1527218'] What does great musicianship mean in the context of a tribute band? On the one hand, I would expect APF's guitarist to be able to play exact, note perfect, feel perfect, expression perfect renditions of Gilmour's playing. On the other hand, [b]if he's that good, what's he doing pretending to be someone else?[/b] [/quote] Making a decent living I hope! £30 for a 'tribute' band might sound steep, but it still sounds better value than most sports events.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1328390942' post='1526446'] IMO the ease at which music is available on the internet has completely devalued music and taken a lot of the passion out of it, a classic case of more is less [/quote] I disagree. Music has been around for a long time. Maybe since before humans could speak to each other. There was a blink of an eye, in historic terms, when producing music on recording formats was a viable industry and a cohesive social activity. Music will live on, and thrive. As it always has.